Inuyasha's home was very humble on the outside. He had a white picket fence in the front with a concrete walkway to the porch. The walkway was lined up with monkey grass. The garden wasn't very elaborate, either, with its green bushes. There was a tree in the middle of the front yard and it took Kagome a moment to recognize it as a Japanese plum tree.
The inside of the home was not much different in its humbleness. It was decorated in a very Edo Japanese style with little to no Western furniture. In fact, the only Western furniture Kagome saw was the living room set, for guests, and the desk set in Inuyasha's office.
The living room set was designed for comfort rather than aesthetics and Kagome wasn't disappointed when she sat on the brown couch. A television sat across from her in its wooden entertainment center.
Nothing in the house screamed "big" or "look at me." There were no pictures or trophies on the wooden walls. The lighting came from ceiling fans. He had central air conditioning, which was a good thing because it was hot outside.
There was a dog bed near the entertainment center and Kagome looked at it curiously. She hadn't seen a dog, but the bed looked used. "Inuyasha," she asked, "who does the bed belong to?"
"Oh!" he said as he went to the back door. "I almost forgot."
He opened the door and this large, monstrous dog bounded into the house. It was about the size of a small pony and had thick, fluffy fur. It had a cream coloured coat and a white face. The dog, though one could easily describe it as a small bear, jumped on Inuyasha and licked him in the face.
"Down, Akiko!" the hanyou commanded. As the dog landed on all fours, Inuyasha smiled at it. "Are you hungry? You should be. You haven't eaten all day."
Kagome watched as the hanyou went to the refrigerator and pulled out a nice sized steak. Her eyes widened as he placed the steak on a plate and stuck it in the microwave. As she opened her mouth, Kagome froze.
The bear-like dog had realized there were other people in the house and was currently growling at Koga. Though she wasn't surprised that the dog could smell the wolf, Kagome had no idea on what to do. Did it mean to attack Koga?
She worried needlessly, for Inuyasha called to the dog and said, "That's enough. I'll let you know when it's time to attack."
Kagome glanced at Koga and could see the disappointment in his eyes. She sighed and shook her head. Some boys just never grow up.
She turned her attention back to Inuyasha. "When did you get an Akita?" she asked him. "I thought you just ran the animal shelter. I didn't know you kept any of the animals."
"I don't," he told her as he leaned against the counter. "Akiko was handed over a couple months ago by a couple who wanted her put down. They claimed she was aggressive. I brought her home for rehabilitation, but she didn't need it. She's happy here and I like the company, so I kept her. Akitas are often handed over to shelters because people don't know how to take care of them, especially here in the States. It's like them idiots who get pits or rotties or any other big dog. These animals were bred by humans for the purpose of protecting the home and family, but many people don't realize what that entails. So, instead of trying to learn about the animal, they bring it to a shelter."
Kagome nodded as the microwave dinged and Inuyasha took out the plate of steak. She watched him slice the bloody meat and place the plate on the floor. Akiko was quick to start eating it.
"She growled at Koga," the miko pointed out.
Inuyasha sniffed. "That's because he's a wolf," he commented. "She could smell it on him. And she doesn't really care for males, with the exception of me. Watch this."
The hanyou turned to the large dog. "Akiko!" he said, gaining the dog's attention. "Where's Sesshomaru?"
Akiko forgot her food and ran to the door. Once there, she put her head down and released a ferocious growl. The fur on her back stood on end as her tail pointed straight up.
Inuyasha laughed. "It's ok, Akiko. He's not here," he told her and the dog went calmly back to her food. The hanyou chuckled some more as he turned to Kagome. "She hates Sesshomaru with a passion. When I'm on the phone with him, she will not stop growling. I think the feeling is mutual, too. Sesshomaru has threatened to have her put down several times now."
Kagome shook her head. "Perhaps you shouldn't encourage her so much," she commented.
"Bah," he answered as he opened the refrigerator again. "I ain't worried about Sesshomaru. It's not like he comes here often anyway."
He took out three bottles of cola and handed one to Kagome and one to Koga. Koga took his and looked at it. "You ain't got no beer or sake?" he asked.
Inuyasha shook his head as he opened his coke. "Drank too much of that shit for years. It took me a while to get off of it and I ain't interested in getting back on it."
The miko took a sip of her drink. "I never thought you'd become an alcoholic," she said.
Inuyasha walked into the living room and plopped into the armchair. "That happened about twenty years ago," he told her. "I knew you were going to be born and I couldn't bring myself to handle it. Took both Sesshomaru and Shippo to get me to kick the habit. I almost took Shippo's advice and went to your damn shrine, but in the end, I couldn't. I guess it's my loss, though."
As the hanyou took a swig of his drink, Koga nodded. "Your loss is my gain," the wolf said with a smile.
To Kagome's surprise, Inuyasha did not become angry or make a snide comment. If anything, he agreed with the wolf prince. "Just make sure you take care of her," he stated. "And try not to be too rough with her. She's a human and she's fragile. If you try to be rough, she can break."
"I know how to handle my woman," Koga growled. "I don't need advice from a pup like you."
"Uh-huh," the hanyou said and took another swig of his drink. He pointed the drink at Koga. "And what are you gonna do about her mortality? She ain't gonna live as long as you."
Koga grunted. "I'm workin' on it."
Inuyasha nodded as he stood up and went to the only bookcase in the entire house. He pulled out a thick and heavy binder and handed it to the wolf. Then he pointed at it. "That is all the research I've done so far on humans and mortality," he explained. "Thanks to Sesshomaru, I've been able to study humans and their medicines and such. I've also done research on their legends. Did you know every human culture in the world has some type of legend about achieving immortality?"
"Yes, but those are all myths, aren't they?" Kagome piped in as Inuyasha nodded.
"They say, though, that legends have a string of truth in them," he told her. "Many human cultures worshiped demons and celestial beings as gods. Sesshomaru's own pet project regards him as something of a god. They just have a hard time accepting their own mortality and fate, so they believe in these higher powers in hopes they will, one day, achieve immortality themselves."
Koga opened the large binder as Kagome looked over his shoulder. Inuyasha perched himself on the couch's armrest as he pointed to the various contents of the binder. He continued, "I've done research on things like the Fountain of Youth, the Philosopher's Stone, vampire blood, ambrosia, and so many other things. One thing these objects have in common is the person's ability to drink or consume the immortality."
"But none of these things are real," Koga reiterated. "They are all myth."
Inuyasha nodded. He stood up and walked to the bookshelf again. "I returned to my mother's home when I realized Kagome wasn't coming back through the well. While I was there, sifting through the ruined home, I came upon my father's journal."
He pulled out another book. This one was both smaller and thinner. It was bounded in black leather with a brown leather string tied around it. He handed the book to Koga. "Apparently, my father was also searching for a means to make humans immortal. I suppose he was doing it for my mother. He loved her very much. I think he was on to something, but he died before he could go any further."
Kagome stared at the leather book. "Why? Why would you do all this research?" she asked him.
The hanyou sighed. "I knew I was going to see you again in the future," he replied. "I wanted to find a way to protect you. To keep you young, beautiful, and alive for a very long time." He was quiet for a moment, before he added, "I still have a few hundred years of my life left. Koga has even more. I know your plans have changed and I've become a supporting role in the book of your life, however, I would like that story to continue for many thousands of years. I want you to be happy, Kagome. And I cannot… Hm. I cannot bear to watch you grow old and die. You are so young and you have so much to offer the world. You deserve that chance."
Kagome's breath caught in her throat. "Inuyasha," she whispered.
She stood up and walked over to him. Very gently, she reached out and touched the necklace he wore, but he pulled back. "No," he said. "Leave it. I want to keep it."
Kagome pulled her hand back and nodded. "And I'll try not to say the 's' word anymore," she told him with a smile.
He nodded. "Thank you."
"What 's' word?" Koga asked.
Kagome and Inuyasha both looked at him as though he had grown a second head. Koga just smirked.
